Stevenagevs.Birmingham

A 1-0 victory over Leyton Orient ensured their place in the last eight, while Birmingham secured a hard-fought 2-1 win against Swindon Town in the round of 16 to make sure of their progress.

Match preview

Stevenage failed to make it past the group phase in last season's EFL Trophy, but Alex Revell's team are making the most of their participation in the competition this term.

Despite a somewhat inconsistent league campaign, the home side have been efficient in their EFL Trophy adventure this term.

After finishing second in their group, the Boro claimed a convincing 4-0 win over Burton Albion in the second round, before edging Leyton Orient courtesy of Brandon Cooper's first-half own goal to book their place in the last eight.

The Hertfordshire-based outfit now have a chance to earn a semi-final berth in this competition for the first time since the 2013-14 season, when they lost 3-1 to Swindon Town on penalties at the penultimate stage of the tournament.

Revell's team are coming into the game in good form, having won their last four games in all competitions, along with back-to-back wins in the EFL Trophy, scoring five goals without being breached in those two fixtures.

Meanwhile, Birmingham City's bid for a third EFL Trophy is well and truly on course after they edged Swindon Town 2-1 at the County Ground to book their place in the last eight of the competition.

Winners of the tournament in the 1990-91 and 1994-95 campaigns, the Blues remain unbeaten in this season's competition, following one draw and four consecutive victories, with 15 goals scored - averaging three goals per game.

Chris Davies's team have also been excellent in League One, where they are dictating the pace with 63 points across 27 matches.

Their promotion bid received a big boost following their 2-1 win over Rotherham United on Saturday to remain unbeaten in the league since November - a run which includes a six-game winning streak.

Coming into this match, the visitors can count on their impressive form, aiming to leverage their 10-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, which includes eight wins on the road.

Stevenage EFL Trophy form:

W

L

L

W

W

Stevenage form (all competitions):

D

L

W

W

W

W

Birmingham City EFL Trophy form:

L

W

W

W

W

Birmingham City form (all competitions):

W

W

W

D

W

W

Team News

Revell is likely to field an unchanged starting XI, with Murphy Cooper retaining his position in goal, while the quartet of Lewis Freestone, Carl Piergianni, Daniel Sweeney and Nicholas Freeman maintain their positions in the back four.

The hosts have completed the loan signing of Brandon Hanlan to bolster their attacking options, but the former Bristol Rovers forward is not expected to be in the starting XI.

Right-back Luther James-Wildin will undergo a late fitness test to ascertain his readiness for the visit of the Blues, but he is unlikely to get a clean bill of health.

For the visitors, Kieran Dowell made his full debut last weekend, and could earn a starting role after a fine performance in his first game for the club.

Keshi Anderson, Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Ethan Laird and Tomoki Iwata should all keep their places in the middle of the park.

Stevenage possible starting lineup:

Cooper; Freestone, Piergianni, Sweeney, Freeman; King, Phillips; Reid, Kemp, Roberts; Appere

Birmingham City possible starting lineup:

Allsop; Cochrane, Davies, Klarer; Laird, Iwata, Gardner-Hickman, Dowell, Anderson; Stansfield, Dykes

We say: Stevenage 2-3 Birmingham City

Given the recent form of both sides and their respective goals record in recent times, this match is likely to be a high-scoring one.

The hosts have scored nine in four games across all competitions, while the visitors have recorded eight in their last five matches. However, considering the quality of the away side, we reckon Birmingham will claim a 3-2 win on Tuesday.

Written by

Ademola Adediji

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